James Marshall Carter
Stephen LearmonthJames Marshall Carter was born on the 17th of March 1912, in Seymour, Victoria. At the time, his father, James Angus Carter, was 29, and his mother, Christina (née Jones), was 25. He would have four other siblings, one of which was Edward Donald Carter. James, Christina and their four children at the time (James, Robert, Edward and Majorie) moved to Corryong around 1924. In the Electoral Rolls covering from 1910 to 1949, James senior is listed as being a baker, both in Seymour and Corryong.
The 1936 electoral roll shows that James was living at the Royal Mail Hotel in Yarrawonga, working as a labourer. The following year he moved to Tom St, in Yarrawonga, and was the manager of the softgoods (textiles and fabrics) department of W.J. Gorman Ltd of Yarrawonga. On the 27th of December 1937, James married Kitty Gorman at the Sacred Heart Church in Yarrawonga. Kitty was the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D Gorman of Mulwala, Victoria. The Gorman family had settled in the Yarrawonga area in 1873, becoming one of the major landholders and farming families in the district. In the time that James and Kitty shared together before he enlisted and headed overseas, they would continue to live in Yarrawonga and have one child.
James enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force at Melbourne on the 30th of January 1942 and embarked for overseas service on the 15th of January 1943. James qualified as a wireless operator in larger, two or four-engined aircraft, and would rise to the rank of Pilot Officer. While stationed in England, James was posted to the No. 102 “Ceylon” Squadron, which was a heavy bomber squadron attached to the No. 4 Bombing Group. The Squadron was based at an airfield near the Yorkshire village of Pocklington.
At 1838 on Tuesday the 16th of January 1945, the aircraft of the 102 Squadron took off for a mission to Magdeburg, Germany. The city of Magdeburg, with a population of over 320000 people, lay along the Elbe, southwest of the Reich capital, Berlin. Its heavy engineering and tank and aero-engine factories established it as a centre of industry for the German war machine.
James' story and his fellow crewmen aboard Halifax LW179 (Code DY-Y) is best taken up by Squadron Leader Gentle who investigated the crash of the aircraft.
“I visited the Burgermaister of WOLFSHAGEN, Herr HABIG, and was informed that an aircraft crashed in the village on 16 Jan. 1945. On a large scale map of WOLFSHAGEN the positions of the bodies, and aircraft crash were illustrated. The aircraft was seen burning over the village before it crashed at 22.30 hrs. Next morning the bodies of 3 airmen were found near the ASTFELD road, and later 4 bodies were located in the wreckage of the aircraft. An officer from the GOSLAR airfield, an Ortagruppenleiter MEIER, took charge of the burial, in the absence of the local pastor, who had been drafted into the services. The gravedigger stated that the personal effects were removed by the police officer Herr SCHRADER, and that the bodies were in a mangled condition, and would be difficult to identify. He was absolutely sure that there were seven bodies. He stated that at the burial there were present the previous Burgermesiter, Herr STEINWEG, the Ortagruppenleiter MEIER, and a carrier named BREMER. During the whole of the proceedings the MEIER behaved badly, and during the burial the airmen were not paid due respects. The whereabouts of three mentioned above was not known, and instructions were left with the Burgermeister to obtain statements on the above matter. Herr Heinrich PAUL, stated that the body of the eighth flyer was found by him, on the 10th Feb., in an old quarry approximately halfway between WOLFSHAGEN and LANGELSHEIM. This was visited, and it is quite evident that many days could have passed before the body was discovered. An opened parachute was still attached, and the airman who was wearing a combination suit over RAF uniform was wounded in the head, and his left arm was broken. This airman was buried in his parachute in a grave next to the communal grave.”
A further investigation, conducted by Flying Officer J.B. Lee, also outlines the fate of the aircraft.
“Herr BIERHERG, Burgermeister, said that at approximately 2330 hours on the 10th February 1945, a large aircraft approached the village of Wolfshagen from the West. It was thought that this plane had been attacked by night fighters since some villagers claimed to have heard firing, these same people said that the plane was on fire in the air, but the Bergermiester insisted that no flame could be seen until the aircraft hit the ground. Before crashing the plane circled the village twice and finally plunged to the ground 1 km N.E. of the village where the petrol tank exploded and the wreckage, which was spread over some 100 metres, caught fire and burnt for a considerable time. Members of a salvage unit at Goslar Airfield arrived the next day and collected the wreckage and removed it to the village railway station where it remained until after the occupation and was finally taken away during November 1946. Apart from the fact that the aircraft had four engines no indication as to its type could be found.”
Of the aircrew, only James was initially identified, due to his identity disks. The initial report indicated that the people on the scene were able to identify the ranks of the other aircrew, but not their names. This information was added after the aircraft's identity had been made known.
Back in Australia, Kitty received a telegram from the Air Ministry on the 19th of January, stating that her husband had been listed as missing in action. Kitty also received a letter from Flight Lieutenant J.K. Birley, James’ commanding officer of his flight, C Flight. He would write:
“Dear Mrs Carter,
It is with the deepest regret that I have to inform you that nothing further has been heard of your husband. He left here as Wireless Operator of an aircraft detailed to attack a target in Germany on the night of the 16th. And no signals were received from the aircraft after take-off. However, I feel confident that there is a chance that he and his crew may have succeeded in “baling-out”, in which case they would be prisoners of war. Your husband was an exceptionally efficient wireless operator, and his ability and personality were an inspiration to the whole squadron. He was very popular with his crew and in the Flight where his loss is deeply felt. I would like to assure you that any further information we may receive will be passed to you immediately.
Finally, I would like to offer my personal condolences for your loss. I knew Jim well, as my Wireless Operator and myself shared a room with him since he got his commission.
Also on behalf of the squadron Commander and the whole Squadron may I express my heartfelt sympathy.
Your very sincerely,
(SIGNED) J. K. BIRLEY. F/LT.
For Officer Commanding,
“C” Flight.”
A little under two months later another telegram arrived stating that, due to information received from the International Red Cross, he was now reclassified as killed in action.
James and all members of his crew were finally laid to rest in the Hannover (Limmer) British Military Cemetery in Germany. James and all members of his crew were finally laid to rest in the Hannover (Limmer) British Military Cemetery in Germany. James is also remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, the Yarrawonga War Memorial and the Corryong War Memorial. For his service, he was awarded the Air Crew Europe Star, the 1939-1945 Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939-1945 and the Australian Service Medal 1939-1945.
